officeo



(No Model.)

P. T. A. RODEGK.

OHRONOMETER ESOAPBMENT.

No. 877,889. Patented Feb. 14, 1888.

- *UNITED STATES PATENTi O FICE.)

PAUL THEODOR ALBERT RODEGK, OF AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS.

CHRONOMETER-ESCAPEMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters. Patent No. 377,839, datedFebruary 14,1888.

Application tiled September 8, 1887. Serial No. 249,125.

(No model.) Patented in France August 9, 1887, No. 185,255; in EnglandAugust 9, 1887, No. 10,9l6, and in Italy September 30, 1887, XLIII, 4G8,XXI, 22,151.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PAUL THEoDoR ALBERT RoDEoK, a subject of the King ofPrussia, re

siding at Amsterdam, \Varmoestraat 36, Netherlands, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Escapements for Watches, (forwhich patents have been granted me in France, August 9, 1887, No.185,255; Great Britain, August 9, 1887, No. 10,916, and in Italy,September 30, 1887, XLIII, 468, XXI, 22,151,) and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

Referring to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 show in plan view my improvedchronometerescapement in different positions.

The invention relates to chronometerescapements; and it consists instructural features and in combinations of parts, substantially ashereinafter described, and as set forth in the claims.

In chronometer-escapements as heretofore constructed the oscillations ofthe balance are affected by the variations either in the tension of themotive-spring or by the variations in the movements of the going-train,to avoid which various means have been devised, and more especiallymeans for compensating vanations in the stress of or power exerted bythe motivespring and means for making the oscillations of the balanceisochronous.

The object of this invention is to provide means for controlling theoscillations of the balance by a power independent of the going trainand its motive-spring,whereby the usual means for compensatingvariations in the power exerted by said spring and the necessity ofmaking the oscillations of the balance synchronousmay be dispensed with,whereby the oscillations of the balance are not influenced by anyvariation in the movements of the going-train other than those resultingfrom the variations in the power exerted by the motivespring, suchasincreased frictional resistance resulting from lubricants or from anyother cause, and whereby the escapement mechanism may be simplified andcheapcned.

In Fig. 1 I have shown the several elements of the escapcment in theirposition of rest.

A indicates the escapement-wheel, which rotates in the direction ofarrow 5.

B is the locking-spring,'the movement of which in one direction, or fromthe wheel A, is limited by a stop, d, and in the reverse direction, ortoward said wheel, by a stop, (I. The spring carries a locking tooth orjewel, t, adapted to engage the teeth of the wheel A, and serves to lockthe wheel against rotation in the direction of said arrow 5.

D indicates the escapementlever. It is actuated by a flat spring, F,bearing against a pin, f, and the tendency of said lever is to rotateunder the stress of the spring F inthe direction of the arrow 3. At theouter end of the arm D of the lever is formed a tooth, 9, that extendsinto the path of the teeth of the escapement-wheel A, and from saidouter end projects a tooth, h, adapted to engage the free end of thelocking-spring B.' At the outer end of the other arm, D of said lever Dis formed a tooth, Z, adapted to engag-e a pallet or jewel, L, securedto a disk, K, of the balance-staff V, and also an arm the end of whichis provided with a tooth, m, adapted to engage a locking arm or tooth,M, secured to the fulcrum pin or pivot of the balance-controlling leverN, the tendency of which lever is to rotate in a direction the reverseof that of the escapement'leverD under the stress of its hair-spring w.The movement of said lever N in one direction is limited by a stop, o,in such manner that the nose of the tooth M will rest on that of thetooth m when said parts are in engagement.

To the arm N of lever N is secured aspring, I, the outer or free end ofwhich projects beyond the end of the arm N of said lever into the pathof a pallet or jewel, p, secured to a disk, 0, also mounted on thebalance-staff, the

. pallets or jewelsL and p and their supportingdisks being arranged onthe balancestaff in a well-known manner.

The operation of the escapement may be briefly described as follows: Inthe position of the several elements of the escapement shown in Fig.1,if the balance-staff W rotates in the direction'of arrow 1,the pallet 10on disk 0 strikes the spring 1 and carries the latter and the lever N inthe direction of arrow 2 against the stress of spring as. The tooth mslips 0H tooth M, and the lever D, under the stress of its spring F,moves in the direction of arrow 3, as shown in dotted lines. In thismovement of lever D the tooth l on arm D engages the pallet L andimparts to the balance-staff a further oscillation in the direction ofits rotation, the force of which impulse depends solely upon the powerexerted by the spring F, the parts, when the tooth Z of. lever D strikesthe pallet L of disk K, being in the position shown in the full lines inFig. 2. During these movements the lever N returns into its normalposition of rest, the pallet 19 having snapped over the end of thespring 1?, the lever D and balance -staff cont-inuing their motion inthe direction of arrows 3 and 1, respectively, until they reach theposition shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, the tooth or arm h on arm D oflever D impinging on spring B and moving the same in the direction ofarrow 4 to disengage the tooth z from the tooth a of theescapement-wheel, the latter rotating in the direction of arrow 5. Inits rotation the tooth a of wheel A engages the tooth g of lever D andturns said lever back sufficiently to bringits tooth m in contact withthe tooth M on the pivot of the controllinglever N, the lever D beingagain in its position of rest, and the tooth iagain locks theescapement-wheel by engagement with thetooth At the same time thebalance-staff returns into its normal position in the direction of arrow6. In this movement of the balancestaff the small pallet 19 snaps againover the end of spring P,without, however, moving the lever N from itsposition of rest, it being held against such motion by the stop 1).

It will be readily seen that the work performed at each oscillation ofthe balance-staff is the same. In the oscillation of the staff in onedirection the unvarying or constant stress of the spring 00 and thefriction between the teeth in and M must be overcome. In theoscillations of the balance in a reverse direction the constant orunvarying stress of the spring 1? must be overcome.

The impulses imparted to the balance-staff through the medium of thespring P are also the same for each oscillation, since there is novariation in the tension of the said spring. The oscillations of thebalance are therefore absolutely independent of the going-train ormotive power, which latter influences the spring F only after eachcseapement of the lever D.

From what has been said it will be readily seen that it is immaterial,sofar as the correctness of the time-piece is concerned, whether there areany variations in the power exerted by the motive-spring or in themovements of the going-train; hence all mechanism for correcting suchvariations may be dispensed with and the construction of the time-piecematerially simplified and cheapened. Nor is it necessary to make theoscillations of the balance synchronous, as hereinbefore stated, andwhich has heretofore been neeessary,especially in chronometers used atsea.

Instead of the lever N and its spring P, a locking-spring of knownconstruction may be employed-for instance, one similar to the spring 13;and a spiral spring may be used instead of the flat or leaf spring F.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1. Inachronometer-cscapement, the combination, with the balance-staff, theescapementwheel, and a locking-tooth for controlling the rotation of thewheel, of an escapement-lever adapted to control the locking-tooth ofthe eseapement-wheel and oscillate the balancestaff in one direction,and adapted to be itself impelled by the escapement-wheel in onedirection, a driving element for impelling the lever in a reversedirection, and a lockingtooth controlled by the movements of thebalance-staff and adapted to control the oscillations of theescapenlent-lever when impelled by the escapement-wheel, substantiallyas and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, substantially as herein described, of thebalance-staff \V, the pallets Lp, connected therewith, theescapenientwheel A, and the spring-actuated locking-tooth i B, of theeseapenient lever D, provided with teeth Z m g and the arm h, thespring-actuated lever N, the spring 1?, secured thereto, and thelocking-tooth M on the lever-pivot, said parts being adapted foroperation substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PAUL THEODOR ALBERT RODECK.

Witnesses:

AUGUST SIEGFRIED DocEn, GERRIT VAN DER MUELLER.

